Windcoop
Windcoop is a French cooperative (SCIC SA) building and operating wind-powered container cargo vessels. It serves ethical importers and exporters on the Marseille–Madagascar corridor via the Miaraka, a 91m rigid-sail ship launching May 2027, financed by ~2,500 citizen sociétaires and chargeur pre-commitments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLorient, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Windcoop does
Windcoop is a French cooperative (SCIC SA) headquartered in Lorient that develops and operates wind-powered container shipping services, structured as a multi-stakeholder cooperative integrating founders, employees, chargeurs, strategic partners, and ~2,500 citizen sociétaires into its capital and governance. Founded in 2021–2022, the company is constructing its first vessel, the Miaraka — a 91.3-meter container ship equipped with three automated rigid sails totaling 1,050 m² (supplied by CWS, Saint-Nazaire), capable of transporting 210 TEU per voyage and achieving up to 60% CO₂ reduction versus conventional ships. The vessel features weather routing via D-ICE and OSE Engineering software, an onboard autonomous crane enabling operations at secondary ports without external equipment, and 12 passenger berths. The Miaraka is being built at RMK Marine in Turkey under a lump-sum contract, with first steel cut in December 2025 and planned operational launch on the Marseille–Madagascar route in May 2027.
The company earns revenue through per-container freight pricing for importers/exporters (chargeurs), passenger fares (~€100/day) distributed through Sailcoop, and cooperative membership via €100 social shares and participatory titles. Projected first-year revenue is €9.2M based on 1,575 pre-booked containers at 63% fill rate, with named anchor chargeurs including Arcadie (founding customer), Valrhona, Ethicable, and Prova. Distribution combines direct sales to chargeurs, freight forwarders for southbound cargo, and the CoopHub digital platform for sociétaire acquisition. Capital has been raised primarily through recurring citizen equity campaigns (cumulative ~€8.2M through January 2026), supplemented by a €28.5M fiscal lease from Banque Populaire Grand Ouest guaranteed by the French state's Garantie des Projets Stratégiques. Windcoop also holds ESUS certification and partners with ADEME on a full ISO 14040/14044 Life Cycle Assessment, positioning the venture at the intersection of maritime decarbonization and cooperative ownership.
Windcoop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Windcoop
- Legal name
- Windcoop
- Website
- https://wind.coop
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Windcoop is a French cooperative (SCIC SA) building and operating wind-powered container cargo vessels. It serves ethical importers and exporters on the Marseille–Madagascar corridor via the Miaraka, a 91m rigid-sail ship launching May 2027, financed by ~2,500 citizen sociétaires and chargeur pre-commitments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Windcoop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Maritime Freight
- NAICS
- Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)
- SIC
- Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE)
Keywords
Where Windcoop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lorient
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Windcoop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Container Freight (Fret conteneurisé): Windcoop earns revenue by transporting containers for chargeurs (importers/exporters) on its Marseille–Madagascar route and future lines. Pricing per 20-foot container is competitive with equivalent-sized conventional ships; the cooperative targets 80% container fill rate (63% pre-booked at launch with 1,575 containers worth €9.2M first-year revenue). Goods transported southbound include food products, glassware, paramedical supplies, textiles, and personal effects; northbound include aquaculture, cocoa, vanilla, spices, essential oils, and textiles.
- Passenger Fares: The Miaraka accommodates 12 passengers who travel alongside the crew, experiencing wind-powered ocean transit. Pricing is planned at approximately €100/day, offering an alternative to conventional cruise or air travel between Marseille and Madagascar. Ticketing is handled by Sailcoop.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Cooperative membership — 1 social share at €100 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | Participatory Titles (Titres Participatifs) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Passenger fares — ~€100/day |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Windcoop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Windcoop develops and operates wind-powered container shipping services using a sail-assisted cargo vessel (the Miaraka, 91m, 210 TEU capacity with 1,050 m² of rigid sail area). The cooperative offers direct freight transport on the Marseille–Madagascar route with up to 60% CO₂ reduction versus conventional container ships, complemented by a 12-berth passenger service and additional low-carbon maritime routes under development.
Product overview
Windcoop is a cooperative maritime company operating a fleet of sailing cargo vessels, with its primary offering being the Miaraka — a purpose-built 91-meter container ship equipped with three rigid sails (1,050 m² total) that can transport 210 TEUs while reducing CO2 emissions by 60%. The company operates the first direct France-Madagascar shipping line and is developing additional low-carbon routes. The Miaraka also offers passenger travel accommodations for 12 travelers seeking a unique sailing experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Miaraka Sailing Cargo Ship A 91.3-meter wind-powered container vessel equipped with three automated rigid sails (1,050 m² total) capable of transporting 210 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent containers) per voyage while reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 60% compared to conventional ships. Includes an onboard autonomous crane for self-sufficient port operations.
- France–Madagascar Shipping Line The first direct regular wind-powered shipping line between Marseille (France) and Madagascar, serving the ports of Toamasina, Antsiranana (Diego Suarez), and Mahajanga (Majunga), with approximately 30-day transit time and up to 5 rotations per year. Targeted at importers/exporters of food products, spices, vanilla, essential oils, textiles, and paramedical supplies.
- Passenger Travel on Miaraka 12-berth passenger experience aboard the Miaraka sailing cargo vessel between Marseille and Madagascar at approximately €100/day, offering eco-conscious travelers a wind-powered ocean crossing with double cabins and meals included. Ticketing handled by Sailcoop.
- Custom Low-Carbon Shipping Lines Windcoop develops additional custom decarbonized maritime routes including planned lines to South America, West Africa & Central America, and Indian Ocean regional routes, designed in response to client demand.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 60% CO₂ reduction per voyage on the Marseille–Madagascar route vs. same ship operated 100% on engine at 8-knot average speed (~724 tonnes CO₂ saved per round trip)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Windcoop
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Windcoop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Windcoop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique)coreADEME, the French ecological transition agency, is supporting Windcoop's Life Cycle Assessment (ACV) financially and intellectually. ADEME's backing validates the scientific rigor of Windcoop's environmental impact methodology and provides credibility with regulators, investors, and customers.
- Zéphyr & BoréecoreZéphyr & Borée is a co-founder of Windcoop and serves as the strategic partner responsible for ship design, construction oversight, and ongoing ship management (armement and maintenance). Founded by Nils Joyeux, Amaury Bolvin, and Victor Depoers (who also co-founded Windcoop alongside Julien Noé and Matthieu Brunet), Z&B holds 9,000 social shares (~90,000€) in Windcoop and sits in the 'Partenaires stratégiques' college. The relationship is governed by a protocol agreement that sets margin levels and allows Windcoop to put the contract out to competitive tender at any time.
- RMK MarinecoreRMK Marine is the Turkish shipyard (near Istanbul, part of the Koç Group) contracted to build the Miaraka. The shipyard previously built the Neoliner, another sail-assisted cargo vessel. Construction contract signed March 2025, with steel cutting in December 2025, launch planned November 2026, and delivery May 2027. Windcoop signed a lump-sum contract for the vessel delivery without visibility into the yard's subcontractor negotiations.
- CWS (Computed Wingsail)coreCWS, based in Saint-Nazaire (France), supplies the three rigid wings (ailes rigides) for the Miaraka — the primary wind propulsion system. Their automated rigid sail technology enables the vessel to harness wind efficiently for cargo propulsion, the central technical differentiator of the project.
- D-ICE EngineeringcoreD-ICE Engineering (Nantes, France) provides the weather routing software and bridge systems that enable the crew to optimize navigation based on meteorological conditions and wind availability. Their simulations on 10 years of weather data underpin Windcoop's 60% fuel savings projections.
- OSE EngineeringsecondaryOSE Engineering (Paris, France) collaborates with D-ICE on bridge systems and routing for the Miaraka, contributing to the navigation optimization and operational efficiency of wind-powered sailing.
- Bureau VeritascoreBureau Veritas provides certification services for the Miaraka, verifying that the vessel meets applicable regulatory standards and can be operated safely under the planned conditions. Certification is required for commercial operation and insurance purposes.
- EVEA (SCOP)coreEVEA is a SCOP (cooperative company) engaged to conduct the Life Cycle Assessment (ACV) of the Miaraka. The ACV follows ISO 14040 and 14044 standards and covers environmental, economic, and social dimensions of the vessel throughout its entire lifecycle. EVEA's rigorous approach lends scientific credibility to Windcoop's environmental claims.
- SLCE (Watermakers)secondarySLCE (Lorient, France) supplies the desalination system for the Miaraka, enabling the production of fresh water from seawater — an essential system for crew life and operations during extended voyages.
- BOPPsecondaryBOPP (Crozon, France) supplies the rudder (safran) and steering gear (appareil à gouverner) for the Miaraka — a critical safety component enabling navigation and maneuvering of the vessel.
- DamsiasecondaryDamsia (Brest, France) provides the oil/water separator for the Miaraka, which separates hydrocarbons from water before discharge to limit pollution from vessel operations — a key element of Windcoop's environmental commitment.
- SailcoopsecondaryWindcoop has entrusted Sailcoop (based in Lorient) with passenger ticketing for the Miaraka's passenger service between Marseille and Madagascar. Sailcoop handles all passenger sales and commercial relations for the 12-passenger voyages. Reservations planned to open Q1 2027.
- La Coopérative des InternetssecondaryLa Coopérative des Internets (Lyon, France) designed and maintains Windcoop's eco-designed website, which consumes 16x less data than average websites (~135 KB per page). They also host Windcoop's Matomo analytics instance on a French server and manage the data infrastructure.
- DatacampussecondaryDatacampus (Chasseneuil Futuroscope, France) provides and manages the servers (production and backup) hosting Windcoop's data, including the Matomo web analytics instance and website data. All servers are located in France.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Windcoop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Fairtransport: Dutch sail cargo company operating the Tres Hombres and flagship vessel for transatlantic cargo sailing (chocolate, coffee, rum, wine). Shares Windcoop's wind-powered, low-carbon positioning but operates smaller vessel classes and shorter routes.
- Neoline: French sail-assisted cargo developer building the Neoliner, a RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) sail-powered cargo vessel for France–US East Coast service. Shares Windcoop's wind-propulsion technology approach and French low-carbon shipping market, but focuses on RoRo rather than containerized cargo.
Broad incumbents
- MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company): World's largest container shipping line by capacity. Operates on global container routes including France–Madagascar service; represents the conventional scale-and-volume benchmark Windcoop competes against on price.
- CMA CGM: World's third-largest container shipping company and a French-headquartered incumbent. Operates extensive container routes globally including Madagascar service, and is investing in low-carbon fuels (methanol, LNG). Represents the conventional competitor Windcoop must differentiate against on price and sustainability.
- Maersk: Global container shipping leader with active decarbonization strategy (dual-fuel methanol vessels, biofuel pilots). Provides the benchmark for sustainability commitments in container shipping that Windcoop's customers are comparing against.
- Hapag-Lloyd: Global container liner shipping company operating large container vessels on major trade routes. The conventional competitor against whose pricing Windcoop competes per-container on the France–Madagascar corridor.
- Briese Schiffahrt: German specialized and project cargo shipping operator with a fleet of multipurpose vessels and heavy-lift carriers. Comparable to Windcoop's project-oriented niche service model and willingness to serve non-standard routes and smaller ports.
Direct peers
- Zéphyr & Borée: French sail-assisted cargo vessel designer and operator; co-founded by the same team as Windcoop (Nils Joyeux, Amaury Bolvin, Victor Depoers) and responsible for ship design and ongoing management of the Miaraka. Previously designed the Canopée, a sail-powered cargo vessel, and is the strategic partner in Windcoop's venture.
- Sailcoop: Lorient-based cooperative providing sail-powered passenger services; sister organization to Windcoop handling passenger ticketing for the Miaraka. Operates in adjacent sail-powered maritime niche with shared cooperative governance principles.
- TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport): French sail cargo company operating wind-powered cargo vessels on transatlantic routes (France–West Africa, France–Caribbean, France–South America). Like Windcoop, TOWT develops sail-assisted cargo shipping with a low-carbon positioning, directly competing in the same niche of wind-powered maritime freight.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Windcoop social profiles
Digital presenceWindcoop compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Windcoop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Windcoop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Windcoop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Windcoop M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Windcoop
What does Windcoop do?
Windcoop develops and operates wind-powered container shipping services using a sail-assisted cargo vessel (the Miaraka, 91m, 210 TEU capacity with 1,050 m² of rigid sail area). The cooperative offers direct freight transport on the Marseille–Madagascar route with up to 60% CO₂ reduction versus conventional container ships, complemented by a 12-berth passenger service and additional low-carbon maritime routes under development.
Is Windcoop a public or private company?
Windcoop is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Windcoop founded?
Windcoop was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Windcoop based?
Windcoop is headquartered in Lorient, France, in the Europe region.
How does Windcoop make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Container Freight (Fret conteneurisé) is the primary driver. The others are passenger Fares.
Who are Windcoop's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Fairtransport and Neoline. Broad incumbents are MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), CMA CGM, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and Briese Schiffahrt. Direct peers are Zéphyr & Borée, Sailcoop and TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport).
Does Windcoop have an API?
No public API is recorded for Windcoop.
What industry is Windcoop in?
Windcoop's product category is Sustainable Maritime Freight. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLACABAE, Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF). Its NAICS code is 483111 and its SIC code is 4412.